The Ninth Annual Tannenbaum Toast
The House of Shields, in San Francisco, is the traditional site of the Tannenbaum Toast. This is the bar c.1950s. We hope to return in 2022. Photograph courtesy of Heather David.
Ninety-two years ago, in 1929, the first great tree went up in Union Square, San Francisco, during the Yuletide season.
The tree returned for the 1930 holiday — but not again until more than 50 years later, in 1983. There has been an unbroken line of monumental trees in Union Square every holiday season since then — but, the "great tree" tradition in Union Square turns out to be of relatively recent vintage. (For the deepest, best-illustrated dive into this history, see our December 2018 longread.)
A certain legend has it that it was Emperor Norton who originally called for the Union Square tree — and that he did so thinking that such a display would bring particular delight to children.
Alas, the historical record doesn't bear this out.
No matter. The Emperor would have loved it!
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In 2013, on the second Sunday afternoon of December, The Emperor's Bridge Campaign* celebrated the imperial legend with a holiday party at The House of Shields — the beautifully restored 1913 bar that is just a short walk from Union Square.
We called it The First Annual Tannenbaum Toast.
From the beginning, we felt that the Tannenbaum Toast had the makings of a new tradition. The first gathering was such a festive success that we vowed to make it so.
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Once again this year, we’ll be maintaining the Tannenbaum tradition via Zoom (link below).
While we’ll dearly miss the dark-bar glamour and intimacy of The House of Shields — where we hope to be able resume our annual festivities in December 2022 — Zoom affords us the opportunity to bring into the glass-raising circle citizens of the Empire from around the world, not just those who by circumstance and good fortune live in and around the Emperor’s adopted city.
So, kick off the holidays in regal style! Join The Emperor Norton Trust on the second Sunday afternoon in December, for...
THE NINTH ANNUAL TANNENBAUM TOAST
Sunday 12 December 2021
via Zoom
Join the event at
3:45 p.m. PACIFIC
6:45 p.m. Eastern
11:45 p.m. United Kingdom
PROCEEDINGS BEGIN AT 4 P.M. — TOAST SHORTLY THEREAFTER!
That’s…
4 p.m. in San Francisco
7 p.m. in Boston
12 midnight in London
Period dress and decorated environs welcome but not required.
Join us via Zoom by clicking here.
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The traditional drink for the Toast is The House of Shields's version of the classic Boothby cocktail (link includes the recipe) — created in 1908 by legendary San Francisco bartender William T. "Cocktail" Boothby, during his tenure at the Palace Hotel, just across the street.
Join us in raising a glass to Norton I!
* In December 2019, The Emperor's Bridge Campaign adopted a new name: The Emperor Norton Trust.
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